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United States Patent | 6,007,482 |
Madni ,   et al. | December 28, 1999 |
An endoscope which is both flexible and easily cleaned having a pair of telescoping sections at its distal end one of which carries a camera and which are alternately actuated to provide movement through a body passageway by a Bowden type of cable. Such cable has an outer helical casing with an inner steel wire. Respectively attached to the two cylindrical sections are inflatable bladders which provide for the movement above which also are an integral part of the flexible sterilized sheath being held to the respective sections by O-rings.
Inventors: | Madni; Asad M. (3281 Woodbine St., Los Angeles, CA 90064); Wan; Lawrence A. (22350 Carbon Mesa Rd., Malibu, CA 90265); Hansen; Robert K. (3014 Wyoming, Burbank, CA 91505) |
Appl. No.: | 771444 |
Filed: | December 20, 1996 |
Current U.S. Class: | 600/115; 600/114; 600/116; 600/121 |
Intern'l Class: | A61B 001/04 |
Field of Search: | 600/114,115,116,121,122,123,124,125,144,152,146 |
4066070 | Jan., 1978 | Utsugi | 600/114. |
4176662 | Dec., 1979 | Frazer | 600/116. |
4676228 | Jun., 1987 | Krasner et al. | 600/115. |
4690131 | Sep., 1987 | Lyddy, Jr. et al. | 128/4. |
5029574 | Jul., 1991 | Shimamura et al. | 600/116. |
Foreign Patent Documents | |||
36330-660 | Mar., 1988 | DE | 600/115. |
Self-Propelling, Self-Locating Colonoscope; NASA Tech Briefs, Winter 1978. |